The present invention relates generally to lighting and more particularly to a system for mounting decorative lighting on buildings or the like.
1. Field of the Invention
It is common practice for attaching decorative lights to a home or other structure by suspending the electric conductor for the lights on nails or hooks driven or screwed into the siding material of the structure. The light string is then placed on the nails or hooks by resting the same to hang by gravity thereon at spaced apart intervals. One drawback to such installation is the reluctance of some homeowners to mar the surface of their structure by driving nails at close intervals into a wall surface. Another drawback is that the lights so attached are easily dislodged as, for example, by wind gusts. It is therefore desirable that some means of providing a mounting strip for decorative lights, such as Christmas lights, which may remain attached to the structure, if desired, and the lamps and sockets may be readily removed therefrom.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,344 issued Nov. 21, 1995 to Kotsakis for SUPPORT FOR DECORATIVE LIGHT STRING ON A BUILDING. This patent discloses an elongated member which may be attached to a building and is provided to a series of longitudinally spaced openings having inwardly projecting prongs which removably grip and hold lamp containing sockets when placed therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,028 issued Aug. 6, 1996 to Carlin for LIGHT SYSTEM WITH LIGHT HOLDER. This patent discloses an elongated section of plastic material having a flat base and upwardly converging flexible side walls which resiliently grip a lamp bulb socket containing a lamp when interposed between the side walls.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,882 issued Nov. 10, 1992 to Garrett for CHRISTMAS LIGHTING ORGANIZER APPARATUS and U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,136 issued Jan. 13, 1998 to Byers for MULTIPLE LIGHT SYSTEMS are believed good examples of the further state-of-the-art. The Garrett patent discloses an elongated housing having mounting flanges for securing the housing to a surface, the housing including a plurality of spaced sockets in electrical communication with each other which receive a like series of lamps. The Byers patent disposes an elongated strip or track which holds a similarly elongated string of lights provided with snap fasteners which may be snap attached to the mounting strip.
This invention is believed distinctive over the above named prior patents by providing a strap-like transversely apertured support of construction and attaching its mounting strip, removably supporting decorative lamps and sockets.